The split within the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which began with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s return to the party leadership, was officially formalized with the establishment of the “New Party,” whose name and launch process were announced by Özgür Özel last week. While 91 lawmakers transferred to the New Party alongside Özel, it is noteworthy that many of the party’s core founding members are also involved in ongoing investigations and parliamentary indictment (fezleke) proceedings.
As CHP-run municipalities have been under corruption investigations for a long time, the New Party (YP), established with the aim of presenting itself as a second alternative to CHP voters, appears to offer little hope with its founding roster dominated by the CHP’s controversial figures, instead moving toward becoming little more than a rebranded version of the old party.
Although Özgür Özel appears to have acted strategically by not including these controversial figures in the party council, the fact that they still constitute the party’s “core cadre” raises the possibility of creating significant questions and doubts in the minds of voters about a party founded on promises of “change and progress.”
What makes him any different from before that we should vote for him may well be one of the first questions potential New Party voters should ask themselves.
Meanwhile, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s promises of “purification” still remain in the back of the Turkish public’s mind.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned as chairperson of the CHP following a court ruling, commented on the establishment of the New Party last Saturday.
“The Republican People’s Party is a party that needed to undergo purification. Fortunately, that has now largely taken place,” he underlined.
The prominent roles of several key figures in the new movement are likely to fuel continued political debate over whether the party represents a genuine break from the controversies that surrounded the CHP leadership or a continuation of its existing political cadre.
Ali Mahir Başarır, one of the most prominent names in Türkiye's main opposition Republican People's Party, has been linked to several high-profile legal and political controversies in recent years.
His name appeared in the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's investigation into alleged vote-buying and procedural irregularities during the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, where Özgür Özel was elected party leader. Prosecutors later separated the files of nine sitting lawmakers, including Özel and Başarır, for investigation by the Parliamentary Crimes Investigation Bureau under the Political Parties Law because of parliamentary immunity.
The broader investigation has also included testimony from dozens of party officials and delegates, while separate civil lawsuits seeking to annul the congress were filed by former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and several delegates. The CHP rejected the allegations and later held an extraordinary congress, where Özel was reelected with overwhelming support.
Başarır has also been mentioned in a sweeping corruption indictment stemming from an investigation into alleged bribery, money laundering and corruption involving Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. According to testimony included in the 702-page indictment, one suspect claimed former Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek told him Başarır had supported his mayoral candidacy and that he intended to reward him with an apartment. The same witness also alleged that Başarır received TL 10 million ($210,000) during the nomination process.
Separately, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation into Başarır in October 2025 on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over remarks he made publicly. At the time, the Justice Ministry said the statements exceeded the limits of free expression and constituted an attack on personal rights.
Özgür Karabat, a former CHP deputy chair and a senior figure in the newly established New Party, is among the politicians facing parliamentary referral requests as part of ongoing judicial investigations.
Karabat's name appears in the investigation into alleged corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). During the probe, attorney Gökhan Taşkapan, who testified as a witness, alleged that proceeds from municipal bus maintenance contracts and other public tenders were funneled through a company identified as "Ş.O.," which he claimed existed only on paper. According to his testimony, the contracts were allegedly awarded under Karabat's direction and coordinated by his brother, Devrim Karabat, before the funds were transferred through the company in an effort to launder the money. Taşkapan also alleged that some of the proceeds were later used to purchase land in the Silivri and Çatalca districts of Istanbul.
According to the indictment, prosecutors also alleged that before Türkiye's 2024 local elections, Karabat collected money from contractors doing business with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, its subsidiaries and CHP-run district municipalities under the name of "election support." The indictment further claims Karabat received a TL 5 million bribe in connection with those activities. Based on these allegations, prosecutors prepared a parliamentary referral (fezleke) and forwarded the file to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also referred Karabat's file to Ankara, seeking the lifting of his parliamentary immunity after he was listed in the indictment as both a suspect and an alleged member of a criminal organization.
Burhanettin Bulut, a CHP deputy chair and Adana lawmaker who later joined the newly established New Party (YP), has also been named in the investigation into the alleged Aziz Ihsan Aktaş criminal organization.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that the files concerning Bulut and fellow CHP Deputy Chair Özgür Karabat were separated on July 19, 2024, due to their parliamentary immunity and forwarded to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the preparation of parliamentary referral requests over bribery allegations.
The investigation, centered on the network allegedly led by businessperson Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, concluded in October 2025 following a series of corruption operations related to public tenders.
According to the 578-page indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Aktaş allegedly paid $1 million to Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin and CHP Adana lawmaker Burhanettin Bulut through Tekin's husband, Celal Tekin, in connection with municipal tenders awarded to companies allegedly linked to the criminal organization. Because Bulut was serving as a member of Parliament, prosecutors referred his file to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for parliamentary proceedings.
Özer, a CHP lawmaker who later joined the newly established New Party, has also become the subject of judicial investigations linked to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) corruption probe.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation after Özer claimed on social media that prosecutors were seeking "false witnesses" in the investigation into former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and were pressuring some witnesses, including female detainees, to provide false testimony by threatening them with their children. Prosecutors rejected the allegations and opened an investigation on charges of publicly disseminating misleading information and publicly insulting judicial institutions.
Separately, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the ongoing IBB corruption investigation had produced witness statements, documents and other evidence allegedly linking both Özer and fellow CHP lawmaker Özgür Karabat to the offenses under investigation.
Veli Ağbaba, also a senior CHP lawmaker widely regarded as one of Özgür Özel's closest political allies and expected to play a prominent role in the newly established YP, has been named in several judicial investigations and political controversies.
He has been mentioned in allegations related to the disputed CHP congress, municipal candidate selection, public tenders and appointments within CHP-run municipalities.
One of the most significant allegations emerged from testimony provided by Gökhan Böcek, the son of suspended Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek, who sought to benefit from Türkiye's effective remorse provisions. In an eight-page supplementary statement submitted to the court, Gökhan Böcek alleged that Ağbaba, acting "on Özgür Özel's instructions," demanded TL 30 million (nearly $650,000) during Muhittin Böcek's nomination process for the Antalya mayoral candidacy.
According to the testimony, after Böcek said the amount equaled roughly 900,000 euros ($1.03 million) at the prevailing exchange rate, Ağbaba allegedly
Ağbaba has also been named in the investigation into Seferihisar Municipality in Izmir, where prosecutors alleged he received bribes connected to the 2024 local election process. According to the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, investigators identified what they described as systematic money transfers from mayoral candidates and their close relatives to Ağbaba before the March 31, 2024 local elections.
Most recently, Ağbaba's name resurfaced during the corruption investigation into Etimesgut Municipality in Ankara. The investigation led to the detention of 55 people, including Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu. Prosecutors are examining the appointment of Deputy Mayor Mutlu Kerimoğlu, who has ties to Ağbaba, Beşikçioğlu and former Bakırköy Mayor Bülent Kerimoğlu.
According to claims cited by pro-CHP sources, Kerimoğlu was appointed deputy mayor at Ağbaba's personal request.
Following the court's "absolute nullity" ruling, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu launched what he described as the party's first "purge" by referring nine lawmakers to the party's disciplinary board with a request for permanent expulsion. Those referred included Ensar Aytekin, Ali Mahir Başarır, Gökhan Günaydın, Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu, Özgür Karabat, Umut Akdoğan, Veli Ağbaba, Turan Taşkın Özer and Burhanettin Bulut, all of whom had been linked to investigations or allegations surrounding the disputed CHP congress and related judicial proceedings.
